1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hinge device which joins a first housing and a second housing of a portable electronic apparatus in a manner that the first housing and the second housing can turn around kept in generally parallel with each other, and a portable electronic apparatus using the hinge device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recent portable electronic apparatuses such as portable phones include ones that have a first housing and a second housing, which turn around while being kept in generally parallel with each other (e.g., see Unexamined Japanese Patent Application KOKAI Publication No. 2004-270821). In such a portable electronic apparatus, the first housing and the second housing are joined by a hinge device. The first housing or the second housing turns around relatively to the second housing or the first housing, about an axial line that runs orthogonally to their surfaces facing each other.
The structure of such a hinge device is as follows.
(1) A first base is fixed on the first housing. (2) A second base is fixed on the second housing. (3) A pivot is fixed on the first base, and is pivotally supported by the second base. In this case, the pivot is inserted through a pivot opening in the second base. The radial load of the pivot is received by the second base. (4) A wire is provided in a way that it runs through a through hole provided along the axial line of the pivot. This wire electrically connects the circuit board in the first housing and the circuit board in the second housing.
Further known among such portable electronic apparatuses as described above are ones that can have their first housing and second housing turn around relatively not only about the above-described axial line (i.e., the axial line that runs orthogonally to the facing surfaces of the first housing and second housing), but also around an axial line that is orthogonal to the above-described axial line (e.g., see Unexamined Japanese Patent Application KOKAI Publication No. 2005-127449).